Wigging Out

Unicorn Graphics, a commercial printer with an expanded wide-format inkjet business in Garden City, New York, has an ongoing relationship with Shake-N-Go (SNG), which bills itself as the “world’s largest manufacturer of hair extensions, wigs, hairpieces, and accessories.” As part of the deal, Unicorn produces new signs for all the company’s retailers every two years. This results in hundreds of SNG graphics annually for Unicorn. The kicker is that each store uses identical images—but in different ways on different materials. This presents a constant challenge for the team at Unicorn Graphics, which is just one reason why the company loves the account.

“We love their willingness to try new things in terms of the type of materials and printing processes. Being involved in this project, we feel like a kid in a toy store where we are able to play with all the toys,” says Robert Lee, vice president of Unicorn Graphics. “Each store requests highly individualized graphics with the store name on it. Thus, each store sign is unique. The sheer number of installations (several hundred stores a year) is a big project for us. Each store job encompasses all store windows, with the average store size between 5000 to 10,000 feet.”

To produce this year’s round of graphics, Unicorn relied on its EFI Vutek QS2000 grand-format inkjet printer combined with QS Series UV ink and EFI Fiery RIP. The company produced many different kinds of signage for SNG, including store window graphics, overhead banners, and aisle signs. Unicorn used various media, including Ultraflex Jetflex FL Scrim Vinyl, Intelicoat Polypropylene Matte, and S&F Perforated Film 70:30 tint film in the various graphics for the project. Finishing of the banners was completed using Unicorn’s EskoArtwork Kongsberg cutting table with i-Cut software.

“For future installations, we will continue to experiment with new media and applications, such as clear window film with white ink that mattes out parts of the image; PVC film with an aggressive adhesive designed for outdoor sidewalk and parking-lot floor graphics; and vinyl films for textured store walls—such as brick or stone,” says Lee. 

UNICORN GRAPHICS
www.unicorngraphics.com